June 24th

FRAZIER PARK, Calif. (AP) - A 120-acre wildfire that destroyed
four structures in the Los Padres National Forest was contained
Thursday as another 60-acre blaze erupted in the San Bernardino
Mountains.
About 440 firefighters battled the larger blaze about 10 miles
southwest of the Lockwood Valley area, said Joe Pasinato, a
spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.
Investigators determined that fire started Wednesday afternoon
in a residence and spread to vegetation, Pasinato said. The blaze
burned down the residence, a cabin, a trailer and an outbuilding.
It forced temporary evacuation of some residents.
The cause was under investigation and no injuries were reported.
Further inland, a 60-acre wildfire on Sugarloaf Mountain in the
San Bernardino National Forest was 10 percent contained Thursday
evening, authorities said.
The blaze started Thursday afternoon on a remote, steep mountain
slope, said fire information officer Georgia Smith. About 150
firefighters kept it from moving east into trees, she said. They
were aided by 11 aircraft, which dropped retardant, surrounding the
blaze and stopping spread of flames by the evening, Smith said.
The blaze did not threaten any homes and the cause was under
investigation. No injuries were reported.
Last fall, wildfires burned tens of thousands of acres and
hundreds of homes several miles to the west, in the Lake Arrowhead
area. But vast stands of trees killed by an infestation of bark
beetles remain. Southern California's first significant wildfire of
the year was in the area in March.

July 13th

Wildfires burn more than 17,000 acres in Southern California

(Undated-AP) -- Out-of-control wildfires have burned through
more than 17-thousand acres of brush and forest in three Southern
California counties.
A blaze on the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest west
of Palm Springs has burned nearly four-thousand acres. Officials
say it is 43 percent contained and is burning back on itself after
moving toward Palm Springs. The blaze earlier had threatened three
mountain communities.
A second fire in Riverside County has blackened about 350 acres
and forced temporary evacuations in the Bundy Canyon area. It is 40
percent contained.
A blaze in the Lake Hughes area of northern Los Angeles County
has burned 45-hundred acres. One outbuilding and a motor home were
destroyed.
And a fire in eastern San Diego County has burned about
85-hundred acres.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters struggled Tuesday to
contain wildfires that have burned more than 10,500 acres of
Southern California brush and forest land.
A blaze on the edge of the San Bernardino National Forest burned
more than 5,000 acres west of Palm Springs. It was 25 percent
contained but still threatened the mountain communities of
Idyllwild, Pine Cove and Garner Valley, officials said.
A second fire in RiversidCounty erupted Tuesday, forcing
evacuations in the Bundy Canyon area and burning more than 300
acres. Firefighters also struggled with the weather - temperatures
in the region reached 100 degrees.
No homes were destroyed, and the cause of the fires remained
under investigation, authorities said.
In eastern San Diego County, a wildfire burned at least 1,500
acres of brushy terrain and prompted the voluntary evacuation of
Ranchita, a tiny rural settlement.
An undetermined number of Boy Scouts and their supervisors were
advised to remain at a Scout camp south of the fire, but the youths
were not in immediate danger because the flames were burning away
from them, officials said.
In northern Los Angeles County, a 4,128-acre fire in the Lake
Hughes area of the Angeles National Forest was 30 percent
contained. The fire had prompted the evacuation of 10 homes shortly
after midnight Monday.
In Alaska, erratic, gusty winds whipped up several large
wildfires, raising concerns for 1,585 firefighters battling 71
wildfires throughout the state.
"Firefighter safety is our primary concern," said Frances
Reynolds, a fire information officer at the Alaska Interagency
Coordination Center near Fairbanks.
Hot, dry weather was expected to continue for at least several
days. "It is going to be a long week," Reynolds said.
The fire near the village of Bettles, about 185 miles northwest
of Fairbanks, grew to 17,561 acres on Monday. Winds blowing from
the southwest kept the fire from spreading any closer to the
village and its 60 residents. The flames stayed about a mile from
the community.
Planes dropped fire retardant on another fire northeast of
Fairbanks that at one point crept onto a resort property.

Big Blazes

LAKE HUGHES, Calif. (AP) - Three rural communities were
threatened Thursday by a fast-moving fire in the Angeles National
Forest, but firefighters elsewhere in California made big gains in
corralling blazes that have charred about 25,000 acres of brushland
and forest this week.
Hundreds of residents from Meenach, Three Points and Tweedy Lake
were evacuated from their homes. Fire department officials also
have asked about 600 people to voluntarily evacuate their homes in
Lake Hughes and Elizabeth Lake.
The fire in Pine Canyon, about 50 miles north of Los Angeles,
grew to 10,290 acres and burned at least one motor home and another
structure, said U.S. Forest Service information officer Ed
Gililland.
About 1,400 firefighters were on the lines and containment was
put at 40 percent. Two have suffered heat-related injuries, and one
firefighter was killed earlier this week as he was driving home
from the fire, said Anthony Penn, a Los Angeles County fire
department captain.
Pine Canyon resident Tammy Brazil left her home for an
evacuation shelter Monday night, wearing only her pajamas as she
grabbed some clothes, three pets and her plasma TV.
Although the flames started a mile an a half away from her home,
the fire raced up to her house and scorched the back door.
Firefighters were able to save her home.
"Now I'm not a neurotic mess because I know my house is OK,"
she said. "I'm ecstatic. I want to throw the firemen a Corona
(beer)."
Monsoonal flow of moist air into Southern California brought
thunderstorms that helped firefighters on the lines of the
3,690-acre Verbenia Fire west of Palm Springs in Riverside County.
The blaze on the edge of San Bernardino National Forest was 95
percent contained. Two other fires that burned about 500 acres in
the county near Lake Elsinore were contained.
In eastern San Diego County, the 8,867-acre Mataguay Fire was
fully contained after destroying two homes and two outbuildings.
Some 1,300 firefighters battled the flames, which were ignited by
illegal fireworks near Lake Henshaw.
Seventy miles north of Los Angeles, a 510-acre wildfire on the
eastern side of the Tehachapi Mountains was 90 percent contained
after destroying a house and motorhome in Cameron Canyon. Full
control was expected by Thursday evening, said Kern County fire
Capt. Doug Johnston.
In the Sierra Nevada, a lightning-sparked wildfire in Yosemite
National Park grew to 1,700 acres. Hikers were evacuated and trails
were closed in part of the park earlier in the week when the blaze,
one of nine naturally ignited two weeks ago, suddenly expanded.

July 18th

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) - A wildfire raged toward four
hillside communities Sunday in northern Los Angeles County, forcing
several thousand people to flee their homes.
Authorities said 1,600 homes in Santa Clarita had been evacuated
since the fire began Saturday.
"Only 600 to 800 homes are in imminent danger," said county
fire spokesman Mike Brown, but he said authorities were taking
precautions by evacuating all three canyons north of the blaze.
Winds of up to 25 mph fanned flames toward homes in the
communities of Fair Oaks Ranch and Via Princesa, and those on both
sides of Sand Canyon just hours after officials had lifted an
earlier evacuation, county fire inspector Edward Osorio said.
The fire also forced authorities to temporarily close a 10-mile
stretch of the Antelope Valley Freeway east of Interstate 5 Sunday
afternoon.
More than 1,000 firefighters, along with water-dropping
helicopters, battled the blaze amid dry conditions and temperatures
in the 90s, as residents remained outside their homes Sunday night,
officials said.
No injuries or structural damage was immediately reported from
the fire, which began Saturday. It was one of several burning more
than 40,000 acres in the state, from eastern San Diego County to
Yosemite National Park.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sunday approved a
request for federal funds for Foothill Fire, one of six such
requests for funds in California during the past week. The agency
also approved funds for the Melton fire in Riverside County, about
90 miles east of Los Angeles.
Fire officials on Sunday had contained 50 percent of the
3,600-acre Melton Fire. Full containment was expected Tuesday
morning.
"We're continuing to improve lines, and we don't see much more
growth in the fire," said Jim Boano, a spokesman for the
California Department of Forestry.
Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted Sunday for about 500
homes, but voluntary evacuations were issued for another 200 homes,
Boano said.
The fire destroyed three single-wide mobile homes, 7 vehicles,
11 outbuildings, one motor home and one travel trailer.
The blaze started when an unidentified person shooting target
practice sparked a flame that spread to vegetation, officials said.
The person was given a citation and may have to pay all of the
firefighting costs, Boano said.
Meanwhile, firefighters continued to make steady progress
against the Pine Fire that has been burning since Monday about 45
miles north of Los Angeles.
The arson fire was about 80 percent contained Sunday and had
burned 17,418 acres, destroying three homes and five outbuildings.
Two firefighters have suffered heat-related injuries and one
firefighter died in a traffic accident while returning home from
the fire's front.
Nearly 1,000 people from rural communities had left earlier in
the week but returned to their homes Sunday.
In eastern San Diego County, the 8,867-acre Mataguay Fire that
destroyed two homes and four outbuildings was extinguished Sunday
afternoon. The flames were ignited by bottle rockets set off near
Lake Henshaw, and were 100 percent surrounded Friday night.
Another fire burned 92 acres and forced authorities to briefly
close Interstate 8 in both directions about 60 miles east of San
Diego, said CDF Capt. Dan Pagni. That fire, reported Sunday morning
and traced to a campfire, was fully surrounded by the afternoon,
and firefighters expected to extinguish the flames by Monday night.
A 4,000-acre fire in Riverside County was contained and two
other fires that burned about 500 acres were fully controlled,
officials said.
A lightning-sparked wildfire in Yosemite National Park was being
allowed to burn because its slow-moving flames were cleaning the
forest floor. The blaze had scorched at least 3,000 acres and
forced the closure of several popular trails.

July 18th

HEMET, Calif. (AP) - Evacuation orders had been lifted Sunday
for about 2,000 people whose homes were in the path of a growing
wildfire in Riverside County, fire officials said Sunday.
The 3,200-acre blaze that started Saturday afternoon had
threatened nearly 700 homes, but firefighters worked throughout the
night to surround about 20 percent of it, said Capt. Rick Vogt, a
spokesman for the county fire department.
No homes or buildings were damaged. About 200 homes were still
considered threatened but their occupants had not been ordered to
leave he said.
Hot, dry weather with temperatures in the 90s was forecast
Sunday in the Riverside County area.
Elsewhere, fire crews in western Nevada started heading home
Sunday after mostly containing an erratic fire that had destroyed
at least 15 homes and briefly threatened the governor's mansion in
Carson City. The wind-driven fire, which blackened nearly 7,600
acres along a 4-mile stretch of the Sierra foothills, was 85
percent contained late Saturday and fire officials said it could be
fully contained by Tuesday.
"The danger has passed," said acting Carson City Fire Chief
Stacey Giomi.
Wildfires have erupted throughout California over the past week,
charring nearly 38,000 acres.
The Riverside County fire, located about 90 miles east of
downtown Los Angeles, was started by a person shooting target
practice, Vogt said. The shooter was cited and may have to pay a
portion of the firefighting costs.
In northern Los Angeles County, evacuation orders were lifted
for a 100-home community close to a 2,800-acre fire near Santa
Clarita, but residents of at least 80 other homes in the area were
forced to leave their homes Sunday, officials said.
The fire near Santa Clarita was 30 percent contained Sunday
morning.
"We're expecting it to change once it heats up and the winds
start changing directions," said Ron Haralson, a county fire
department spokesman.
About 45 miles north of Los Angeles, an arson fire burning since
Monday was 75 percent contained Sunday after blackening 16,800
acres. That blaze had destroyed three homes and five outbuildings.
The fire had forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people from
rural communities, but mandatory evacuation orders were lifted
starting Friday after wind pushed the flames away from homes.

JULY 19TH EVENING UPDATE

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters battled Monday to save
hundreds of homes threatened by a stubborn wildfire that broke out
over the weekend in tinder-dry brush and raced over hillsides and
through canyons in northern Los Angeles County.
Although no structures have been lost, thousands of people had
been evacuated from homes since the fire began Saturday. It was
ignited when a red-tailed hawk flew into a power line, was
electrocuted and its flaming body fell into brush left dry by years
of little rain.
By Monday night, residents were allowed to return to all but
about 350 homes. The wildfire spread across about 6,000 acres and
was 45 percent contained. Firefighters used water-dropping
helicopters to slow the flames as bulldozer operators and hand
crews working in 90-degree temperatures rushed to cut a line around
the blaze.
"It looks a lot worse than it actually is," said Martin
Esparza, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman. "The winds have started
mellowing out and the temperatures have started to drop just a
bit."
Fire officials and TV crews were forced into a hasty retreat at
one point when flames exploded into a fireball that burned power
lines along a road.
"It was something to see," Esparza said.
The blaze, known as the Foothill Fire, was one of several that
burned across more than 40,000 acres of California from eastern San
Diego County to Yosemite National Park. The overall cost of
fighting the four largest blazes was estimated at $20 million.
In Stanislaus County, a wildfire burning out of control along
the San Joaquin River spread to 1,500 acres late Monday.
The fire about 15 miles west of downtown Modesto burned through
dense brush into a restored habitat area for the endangered
riparian brush rabbit, said county fire Deputy Chief Jim Weigand.
The blaze threatened several ranches and its cause was under
investigation. About 75 firefighters battled the blaze, which was
believed to be human-caused. Winds up to 17 mph were hampering
efforts.
"The fire keeps flaring up on us in all sorts of different
directions," Weigand said.
Firefighters did mop-up work Monday on the Melton Fire, 90 miles
east of Los Angeles in Riverside County. That blaze destroyed four
mobile homes, 14 vehicles, 14 outbuildings, a motor home and a
travel trailer. It was 95 percent contained Monday, with full
containment expected by Tuesday morning.
In Los Angeles County, more than 2,000 firefighters were
battling the Foothill Fire. Four were treated for minor injuries,
said fire information officer Leona Rodreick.
By Monday night, evacuated residents have been allowed to return
to Fair Oaks Ranch and Sand Canyon areas, but were kept out of
about 350 houses in Placerita Canyon that remained in the path of
the blaze.
Only seven people stayed Sunday night at a Red Cross center at
College of the Canyons, although some people with animals,
including dogs, cats and a llama, were seen camping out in parking
lots.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sunday approved a
request for federal funds for the Foothill Fire, one of six such
requests from California during the past week.
FEMA also approved funding for the 3,667-acre Melton Fire, which
had also resulted in evacuation orders for residents of hundreds of
homes in the Sage area. All were allowed to return by Monday
morning, said CDF spokesman Jim Boano.
Authorities said a target shooter who started the fire was cited
and may have to pay costs of fighting the fire. Donald Brandon, 41,
of San Diego, was released Saturday and the case has been referred
to prosecutors, said Capt. Rick Vogt, a spokesman for the
California Department of Forestry.
Elsewhere, firefighters continued to make steady progress
against the massive Pine Fire that has been burning about 45 miles
north of Los Angeles since July 12, threatening spotted owl and
California Condor habitat.
The fire was 90 percent contained Monday evening after scorching
17,400 acres and destroying three homes and 12 outbuildings. Full
containment is expected by Friday. About 600 firefighters were
battling the blaze, which authorities say was caused by arson.
Funeral services were held Monday for fire Capt. Daniel Elkins,
47, who was killed in a traffic accident July 13 as he drove home
from the fire line.
In Yosemite National Park, the lightning-sparked wildfire that
has closed a number of trails was being allowed to grow on one
front but was otherwise mostly contained, park officials said. The
blaze has burned across more than 3,800 acres.
Fire information officer Marty O'Toole said officials were
trying to keep smoke to a minimum to minimize its impact on
visibility and visitors' health.
In San Diego County, a nearly 9,000-acre fire was extinguished
Sunday afternoon and a 92-acre fire was fully contained Sunday
night.

ACTON, Calif. (AP) - A wildfire in northern Los Angeles County
prompted the evacuation of 175 homes as it spread rapidly through
desert brush toward stands of dead trees.
The fire burned out of control across more than 5,000 acres
after erupting Tuesday, even as California firefighters gained the
upper hand on two other large wildfires.
The fire in northern Los Angeles County destroyed a mobile home,
an abandoned house and a bridge, said county fire Inspector Mike
McCormick. No injuries were reported.
Winds gusting up to 25 mph pushed flames past ranch homes in
Acton but the blaze moved overnight toward houses in the Little
Rock, Bell Springs and Juniper Hills areas, McCormick said.
"See all the smoke? My home is right up there," said Cristal
Herron, 42, who fled her home Tuesday and waited nervously with her
13-year-old daughter.
Three Angeles National Forest roads were closed indefinitely,
including a popular commuter route from the growing Antelope Valley
to Los Angeles.
Temperatures reaching the high 90s and brush left dry after
years of drought helped fuel a series of southern California fires
in the past week. Threatened communities have so far avoided the
large-scale loss of homes that occurred during wildfires last fall,
but officials warned that the fire season is young.
"A lot of us are looking at each other and saying 'Wait a
minute, it's mid-July and this is happening,"' said Angeles
National Forest spokesman Stanton Florea. "The multiple large
fires with this behavior, we usually only see after Aug. 1, and
mostly in October when the Santa Ana winds are blowing."
About 900 firefighters were on the lines for the fire, which
burned through grass, brush and pinon, juniper and Joshua trees. It
was headed deeper into national forest lands full of densely
packed, dead conifers.
Elsewhere, a 6,000-acre fire near Santa Clarita was 81 percent
contained and a 17,418-acre fire near Lake Hughes was 95 percent
contained after it destroyed three homes and a dozen outbuildings.
All residents evacuated from those areas were allowed to return
home.
Firefighters contained a blaze in Riverside County and made
progress against a 1,600-acre fire in central California's
Stanislaus County.
In Yosemite National Park, a lightning-sparked wildfire spread
across more than 4,219 acres and was being allowed to grow on one
front.
In Alaska, firefighters were battling a 484,000-acre fire on the
outskirts of Fairbanks. Heavy smoke continued to hamper efforts to
use airplanes to douse the flames, and those conditions were not
expected to change this week. The blaze was considered 20 percent
contained.
Wildfires already have burned 3.6 million acres in Alaska, which
has been having one of its worst seasons in years.

July 21st

ACTON, Calif. (AP) - The latest of Los Angeles County's large
wildfires slowed and turned into the Mojave Desert late Wednesday
as the threat to hundreds of homes subsided.
Hundreds of residents evacuated as the Crown Fire spread across
8,900 acres in less than 24 hours were allowed to return home,
though people were kept out of several dozen homes that remained in
the path of flames.
The blaze was the third huge fire in and around the Angeles
National Forest and the latest in a series of major blazes that
have erupted in California unusually early in the year.
"What we're experiencing here in Southern California is pretty
much unprecedented," said Jody Noiron, forest supervisor for the
Angeles National Forest.
Firefighters caught a break Wednesday as a wind shift pushed the
Crown Fire back onto itself and away from heavy fuels, said county
fire Capt. Dennis Cross.
"It's in the sand, the rock, the dirt, that type of terrain,
which makes it easier for us to get a line around it," Cross said.
"It's significantly laying down. ... The threat has subsided."
Containment was estimated at 30 percent. Officials twice
estimated that about 10,000 acres had burned, but the figures were
later revised downward. Two homes and a bridge were destroyed
Tuesday.
About 2,400 firefighters, including seven who suffered minor
injuries, battled the blaze in dry brush and timber about 50 miles
north of Los Angeles. Firefighters were being released from the
lines overnight, Cross said.
The fire, propelled by winds gusting up to 25 mph, had moved
during the day toward an area of scattered homes in the desert-area
communities of Little Rock and Bell Springs.
National Forest spokesman Stanton Florea said investigators
determined that the Crown Fire was human-caused. "Whether or not
it was intentional or accidental is still under investigation," he
said.
It was the only one of the three county blazes still threatening
any damage.
The Foothill Fire, near Santa Clarita, was fully contained after
burning across 6,060 acres since Saturday. The Pine Fire, which
covered 17,418 acres and destroyed three homes near Lake Hughes
since July 12, was also fully contained.
County health officials advised nearby residents to limit
exposure to smoke-filled air by avoiding prolonged, strenuous
exercise.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it had
approved the use of federal funds to help pay the costs of fighting
the Crown Fire, the fifth approval granted to California by FEMA
this week.
Elsewhere in California, the San Joaquin River National Wildlife
Refuge fire was 95 percent contained at 1,500 acres, according to
Peter Kelly, fire management officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
In Yosemite National Park, a 4,250-acre lightning-sparked
wildfire was being allowed to grow on one front but was otherwise
mostly contained, park officials said.
In Santa Barbara County, all but a handful of firefighters were
released from lines at a 300-acre blaze near Jalama Beach County
Park. The fire was 90 percent contained with full containment
expected Thursday morning.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A third major wildfire burning north of Los
Angeles swelled to 10,000 acres Wednesday, threatening hundreds of
homes on the edge of the Mojave Desert.
It was the third large fire in and around the Angeles National
Forest and the latest in a series of blazes that have raged across
California unusually early in the year.
"What we're experiencing here in Southern California is pretty
much unprecedented," said Jody Noiron, forest supervisor for the
Angeles National Forest.
Six hundred homes were evacuated, but residents of all but about
30 were allowed to return by Wednesday evening, national forest
spokesman Stanton Florea said. Two homes and a bridge were
destroyed Tuesday.
Officials said the fire was 40 percent contained after growing
to 10,000 acres in less than 24 hours.
More than 2,300 firefighters battled the blaze in dry brush and
timber about 50 miles north of Los Angeles, county fire Capt.
Anthony Penn said.
The fire, propelled by winds gusting up to 25 mph, was moving
toward an area of scattered homes in three desert communities.
Firefighters were watching the flames closely because the area
is thick with thousands of dead juniper and pine trees that were
ravaged by six years of drought and an infestation of bark beetles.
"We have things packed and ready to go," Kathy Covington,
whose home was in the path of the approaching flames, told KCAL-TV.
Three national forest roads were closed indefinitely, including
a popular commuter route from the growing Antelope Valley to Los
Angeles.
The cause of the fire was unknown.
Hot, dry weather has helped spread a series of Southern
California fires in the past week. Threatened communities have so
far avoided the large-scale loss of homes that occurred during
wildfires last fall, but officials warned that the fire season is
young.
"A lot of us are looking at each other and saying 'Wait a
minute, it's mid-July and this is happening,"' said Angeles
National Forest spokesman Stanton Florea. "The multiple large
fires with this behavior, we usually only see after Aug. 1, and
mostly in October when the Santa Ana winds are blowing."
Elsewhere in the countryside north of Los Angeles, a 6,000-acre
fire near Santa Clarita was 95 percent contained, as was a
17,418-acre fire near Lake Hughes that destroyed three homes and a
dozen outbuildings. All evacuees had been allowed to return home.
In Alaska, crews were battling a 484,000-acre fire on the
outskirts of Fairbanks.
The blaze was considered 20 percent contained, but more fires
were igniting. Lightning strikes had touched off eight fires since
Monday, and one blaze north of Fairbanks had spread from 80 acres
on Monday to 4,500 acres Wednesday.
Wind cleared away a smoke cloud that had been hanging over
Fairbanks, a day after city officials issued a warning for children
and the elderly to stay inside.
Wildfires already have burned 3.6 million acres in Alaska, which
has been having one of its worst seasons in years.
---
Associated Press Writer Matt Volz contributed to this report
from Anchorage, Alaska.

July 22nd

ACTON, Calif. (AP) - The hot, dry weather that has gripped
Southern California for more than a week turned friendlier to
firefighters Thursday, helping them rein in a blaze that had
threatened nearly 200 homes.
The 11,816-acre Crown Fire had destroyed two homes and a
historic wood bridge 50 miles north of Los Angeles before the wind
changed direction and blew the blaze back on itself and toward open
desert. It was 80 percent contained.
But as firefighters were making progress in north Los Angles
County, a new fire erupted to the east in Riverside County.
The Citrus Fire near Hemet grew to 500 acres and forced road
closures as it briefly threatened several homes, said Rick Griggs,
a county fire engineer.
Firefighters used bulldozers to dig lines around half of the
blaze and winds were dying late Thursday as the fire was 50 percent
contained.
"We're getting some pretty good cooperation from the weather,"
he said.
Three of the 350 firefighters battling the blaze suffered
injuries. One was treated at a hospital for moderate burns to the
face and the other two suffered heat exhaustion.
Also Thursday afternoon, a 40-acre blaze flared up a hill in
Poway in northern San Diego County, but firefighters controlled it
within several hours.
Meanwhile, the Martin Fire that erupted late Wednesday near
Temecula had burned across 135 acres by Thursday. It was 75 percent
contained late Thursday with full containment expected by Friday
morning.
Two other large fires that raged earlier in the week were fully
contained. The Foothill Fire blackened 6,060 acres near the Los
Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita, and the Pine Fire scorched 17,418
acres and destroyed three homes near Lake Hughes.
About 2,400 firefighters battled the Crown Fire, which began
Tuesday on the edge of the Mojave Desert and was no longer a threat
to homes. Eight people suffered minor injuries.
Angeles National Forest spokesman Stanton Florea said the blaze
was human-caused, but investigators have not determined whether it
was intentional or accidental.

New Blaze

BC-Wildfires,0337
New southern California wildfire erupts as larger ones subside
HEMET, Calif. (AP) - Just as firefighters were getting a handle
on one large blaze north of Los Angeles, a new wildfire ignited
roughly 50 miles to the west, spreading across nearly 800 acres.
The latest fire, in Riverside County, forced road closures as it
briefly threatened several homes, said Rick Griggs, a county fire
engineer. The fire was 50 percent contained late Thursday night,
and firefighters hoped to have it surrounded by Friday morning.
It erupted Thursday in brush and grass along hills near the
community of Fairview, but winds were slow and accessible terrain
allowed use of bulldozers to dig lines. "We're getting some pretty
good cooperation from the weather," Griggs said.
Three of the more than 400 firefighters battling the blaze
suffered injuries. One was treated at a hospital for moderate burns
to the face and the other two suffered heat exhaustion.
Meanwhile, firefighters were being released from the lines at a
fire at the edge of the Mojave Desert in northern Los Angeles
County. The 11,816-acre blaze destroyed two homes and a historic
wood bridge, but was 80 percent contained.
About 2,400 firefighters battled the human-caused fire. Eight
people suffered minor injuries.
Earlier in the week, firefighters fully contained the two fires
in northern Los Angeles County.
Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Mike McCormick said Thursday
that the early series of blazes indicates "we've got a long summer
ahead of us."
"These are the conditions: hot, dry, low humidity and windy,"
he said. "So we'll just try to get some rest then go out and do it
again."
In Alaska, seven firefighters were hurt Thursday when a tracked
vehicle rolled as it transported a crew to a more than 485,000-acre
fire north of Fairbanks. Four were taken to a hospital by
helicopter and three others were taken by ground transport; five of
those were released.

INFORMATION:
The high fire danger this summer has forced officials to close low-lying areas
of California's San Bernardino National Forest. It involves thousands of acres
stretching from Wrightwood to the San Rosa wilderness near Palm Springs.

The area that is closed off in the San Bernardino National Forest is basically
very steep, very brushy, very dusty and not very popular this time of year.
Campgrounds are open in the San Bernardino National Forest and the Angeles
National Forest. But there are very strict fire restrictions in place.

The fire danger is high. That's why the U-S Forest Service is restricting the
use of flames in picnic areas and campgrounds.

After the recent fires the Forest Service had no choice but to implement the
restrictions. The fires burnt thousands of acres and there are thousands of
acres of dry brush left.

If the fire season gets any worse the Forest Service will close the campgrounds
and picnic areas through the remainder of the fire season. Fire season runs
until November or whenever the first rains come.

Visitors to the area that ignore the fire warnings and are busted for having an
open fire, could face up to five-thousand-dollars in fines and possible jail
time.

August 8th

HEMET, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters on Sunday battled to contain
several wildfires that blackened thousands of acres and forced
scores of people to evacuate their homes.
A new fire moved rapidly through thick brush in Riverside
County, charring 350 acres and triggering evacuations as it
threatened an unknown number of houses in the tiny desert community
of Anza, about 110 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Residents
scrambled to protect their property.
"When the flames are 50 feet from this house, we'll kick the
buckets of water on the roof and walk away," said James Johnson,
whose brother's home was in the path of the flames.
Johnson and others in the area reached by phone said the fire
started on the nearly 900-acre campus of Trinity Children and
Family Services, which houses troubled youth.
About 300 firefighters and nine aircraft battled the blaze in
heat that reached 112 degrees. It was 75 percent contained Sunday
night.
Nearly 700 firefighters converged on another blaze in the
Angeles National Forest that had burned 1,330 acres near the Los
Angeles suburb of Castaic and destroyed two outbuildings.
The firefighters faced temperatures of nearly 100 degrees. The
fire, reported Saturday afternoon, was fully contained late Sunday.
The cause remained under investigation.
On Saturday, the fire briefly threatened a mobile home park, but
residents using garden hoses kept it at bay. They were evacuated
but allowed to return after the flames passed. No homes were
threatened Sunday, said Dianne Cahir, a U.S. Forest Service
spokeswoman.
Firefighters expected to extinguish the remains of three
Northern California wildfires that began Friday and consumed more
than 4,000 acres near Angels Camp, about 110 miles east of San
Francisco.
The largest blaze charred more than 3,400 acres near
Copperopolis, apparently sparked by a mechanical problem with a
passing car. It forced the evacuation of about 210. It was 90
percent contained Sunday.
A fire near Avery was 65 percent contained after destroying two
homes and charring nearly 900 acres. The third blaze had covered
less than 100 acres and was 90 percent contained. Causesf the
blazes had not been determined.

August 17th

FRENCH GULCH, Calif. (AP) - A northern California wildfire that
destroyed 22 homes and two businesses in this historic gold mining
town grew to nearly 10,000 acres Tuesday, but evacuated residents
were able to return home.
The fire, burning about 140 miles northwest of Sacramento, had
moved north of French Gulch and was 25 percent contained.
Firefighters did not expect to fully contain the flames until
Friday.
Evacuated families returned to town while utility crews sought
to restore electricity and telephone service.
Two walls of flame roared through the community of 150 homes on
Saturday, destroying one-sixth of its buildings. Firefighters
managed to save an 1885-era hotel on the National Register of
Historic Places, a school and the post office.
U.S. Forest Service spokesman Louis Haynes said the fire
continues to burn into a heavily forested area with no homes.
Firefighters have not yet determined a cause for the blaze,
which has cost $3.5 million to fight. More than 2,700 firefighters
were battling the flames with 223 engines, 41 helicopters and 45
water tankers.
In central Washington state, firefighters continued to battle a
fierce fire near Dryden, about 85 miles east of Seattle. More than
325 homes had been evacuated, and authorities Tuesday warned
residents of 234 more houses they might have to leave if the flames
grow.
Lightning ignited 18 new fires in the Okanogan and Wenatchee
national forests, but most were small and did not threaten any
buildings.
The thunderstorms brought heavy rain that caused three
mudslides, temporarily trapping 65 people and their vehicles on a
highway near North Cascades National Park. Crews were able to open
a single lane to traffic early Tuesday.
---
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov

September 6th evening update

GEYSERVILLE, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters battled erratic winds
and very low humidity Monday, making slow gains on a fire that had
burned more than 12,000 acres in the California wine country.
The Sonoma County fire has been feeding on tinder-dry brush,
unpredictable wind patterns, and air so dry that even at night
there is no real increase in moisture, said Janet Marshall,
spokeswoman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection.
A marine layer of moist air was expected in the area Tuesday
morning, which will help the firefighters control the blaze.
"Today was pretty much make or break. We got through it so
far," Marshall said. "If we get through the dry night, we can
exhale tomorrow morning. If all goes well, we'll reach the
cautiously optimistic stage."
The fire, started Friday northeast of Geyserville, was 35
percent contained as of about 5 p.m. Monday. Full containment of
the fire, which is burning through terrain that is very uneven and
often very steep, is not expected until Wednesday morning, Marshall
said. The fire had burned 12,193 acres of land.
Four homes, eight outbuildings and 12 cars have been destroyed,
and about 40 residents have been evacuated from the area, about 60
miles north of San Francisco. That includes evacuations ordered for
six homes in the upper Dry Creek Road area on Monday morning,
Marshall said.
Anyone living nearby has been urged to have evacuation plans in
place. Still threatened by the flames were 200 houses, five
businesses and 60 outbuildings.
Four firefighters sustained minor injuries Monday, raising the
injury total to six. None of the injuries are critical. The
unpredictable winds and very dry vegetation make the situation very
dangerous for the 2,621 personnel on the scene, Marshall said. The
cost of fighting the fire had reached $3.3 million Monday night.
"These are very erratic winds, which can be blowing
perpendicular to one another," she said. "You never know where
they're coming from, and that's a huge safety concern for
firefighters."
The Geysers, the world's largest geothermal power facility, has
major power lines from 21 generating plants crossing over rugged
terrain near the fire, and that creates the possibility of
blackouts, said Kent Robertson, a spokesman for Calpine Corp.
In San Diego County, firefighters put out a brush fire that
consumed 65 acres in the San Pasqual Valley.
Several homes had been threatened, but no structures were
damaged, a CDF dispatcher said.
In Northern California, another fire has been burning through
the rugged hills of Amador County since Sunday afternoon. That fire
forced officials to divert some aircraft from the Sonoma County
fire, Marshall said.
Fire officials said the Amador County burn was 50 percent
contained, and hadn't spread beyond 104 acres by Monday afternoon.
Some of the local residents who had been evacuated were being
allowed back into their homes, said Terry Eastwood, a fire captain
for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. He
did not know exactly how many had been evacuated from the area.
That fire should be contained by Tuesday morning, Eastwood said,
though the hot dry winds and the hilly terrain, covered by
tinder-dry wood and brush, make the work difficult.
A burning motor home had sparked another fire on Friday night,
which spread quickly among the Sierra Nevada foothills of Calaveras
County, destroying 13 homes and 45 outbuildings.
The 2,676-acre fire forced the evacuation of 3,000 people,
mostly from rural subdivisions, before it was contained Sunday
evening.
---
On the Net:
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection:http://www.fire.ca.gov

Sept. 7th

GEYSERVILLE, Calif. (AP) - An infusion of fresh manpower helped
firefighters gain the upper hand Tuesday on a wildfire that had
burned across more than 12,500 acres and destroyed four homes in
Northern California's wine country.
Cooler, moist air that had been forecast for the region failed
to materialize during the night, but the extra personnel more than
compensated for the poor weather, said Janet Marshall, spokeswoman
for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
With more than 2,600 firefighters on the front lines, up from
1,110 a day earlier, officials said the blaze in Sonoma and Lake
counties was 85 percent contained Tuesday morning, up from just 35
percent the night before.
"There is a saying that many hands make light work, and while
this certainly isn't light work, the extra help has allowed us to
make great strides and progress," Marshall said.
Full containment of the fire, in uneven and often steep terrain,
was not expected until Wednesday, she said.
Meanwhile, a fiery crash on Interstate 15 sparked a new blaze in
Southern California that spread across 650 acres in the San
Bernardino National Forest, prompting the evacuation of about 500
people from scattered ranch homes, said forest spokeswoman Robin
Renteria.
The fire was 25 percent contained by Tuesday evening; there were
no reports of damage or injuries.
The northern California blaze started Friday about 60 miles
north of San Francisco and has fed on tinder-dry brush, with flames
driven by dry, unpredictable wind. Authorities initially were
concerned that the fire would threaten the vineyard area of
Sonoma's Alexander Valley, but the fire shifted directions from
south to east. The vineyards aren't considered threatened now,
Marshall said.
In addition to the four vacation homes, the fire had destroyed
eight outbuildings and an electrical equipment storage vault owned
by a local utility, Marshall said. About 40 residents had been
evacuated.
Seven firefighters were injured.
State officials gave Calpine Corp. and Pacific Gas & Electric
Co. permission Tuesday to fire up major power lines through the
area that had been shut down to prevent injuries to firefighters,
Marshall said.
---
On the Net:
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection:http://www.fire.ca.gov

Sept 14th

CAMPO, Calif. (AP) - A brush fire in eastern San Diego County
has shut down highway 94 and prompted some evacuations this
afternoon.
The California Department of Forestry says the fire started
about eleven a-m on the Mexican side of the border near Tecate. It
has burned about 1,000 acres on the U-S side of the border, and 500
acres in Mexico.
C-D-F spokesman Matt Streck says a few structures are
threatened, and people are being evacuated in an area between
Canyon City and Campo.
The San Diego County Sheriff's Department says residents trying
to leave the area are advised to head east, not (NOT) west. A
campground in the area also is being evacuated.
The Red Cross has set up an evacuation center at the Campo
Community Center.
Highway 94 is closed to traffic at Forest Gate Road West to the
Tecate Port of Entry turnoff.
About 300 firefighters are on the scene. They are supported by
four air tankers and six helicopters.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Mexican firefighters in Tecate say their crews are fighting the
fire on their side of the border but no other information was yet
available.

October 6th

Wildfire burns in rugged Northern California area

JACKSON (AP) - A wildfire broke out today (Wednesday) in a
rugged canyon about 25 miles from the Sierra Nevada foothill town
of Jackson, burning about 200 acres and creating a huge plume of
smoke visible for miles.
Joyce Pratt, information officer for the Eldorado National
Forest, says the fire started near Salt Springs Reservoir and
spread quickly, fanned by winds. Cause of the blaze was unknown.
About 220 firefighters were able to get a line around nearly a
third of the fire by this evening. Pratt says several air tankers
are scheduled to attack the blaze tomorrow.
Smoke from the fire spread eastward into the Sierra and was
noticeable as far away as Nevada's Carson Valley, some 60 miles
away.

SAN DIEGO (AP) - A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted a
hunter who allegedly started the largest wildfire in California
history.
Sergio Martinez, 34, was indicted on one count each of setting
timber on fire and making a false statement to a federal officer.
Each charge carries a maximum five years in prison.
The 2003 blaze, called the Cedar fire, killed 15 people,
destroyed more than 2,000 homes and charred 273,000 acres from the
mountains east of San Diego into the nation's seventh-largest city.
The blaze began Oct. 25 in the Cleveland National Forest after
Martinez became lost on a deehunting trip and lit a fire at dusk,
according to the county sheriff's department. The fire, driven by
Santa Ana winds, then swept through tinder-dry brush and trees.
On the night of the blaze, the Forest Service issued Martinez a
misdemeanor citation for setting an unauthorized fire. He was
released with a warning that he could face felony charges if people
were injured or homes destroyed.
Asked what held up the indictment for nearly a year, Assistant
U.S. Attorney Michael Lasater said officials had conducted "a
thorough investigation."
Jose Martinez, the Los Angeles-based lawyer representing the
defendant, declined to immediately comment. Sergio Martinez could
not be reached for comment. Martinez is to be arraigned Thursday in
federal court, where a judge will decide if he should be taken into
custody, Lasater said.
The indictment carries special allegations that Martinez's
actions caused more than $400 million damage and 14 deaths,
including one firefighter. The San Diego Medical Examiner's office
later determined an unidentified man found in a drainage ditch was
the fire's 15th victim.
Martinez was severely dehydrated when sheriff's deputies,
responding by helicopter to a call of a lost hunter, found him
waving from the top of a small mountain as nearby flames shot 10
feet into the air.
The indictment said Martinez lied about starting the fire, and
prosecutors declined to provide details. Sheriff's Deputy Dave
Weldon told The Associated Press last year Martinez denied setting
the fire, but then apologized. "He kept apologizing and looking at
the fire," Weldon said.

October 12th

LAKE BERRYESSA, Calif. (AP) - A wildfire fueled by dry brush
grew to nearly 30,000 acres Tuesday and prompted the voluntary
evacuation of a remote community near Lake Berryessa in northern
California.
Swirling winds wreaked havoc on fire lines throughout the day,
sending ash drifting onto the Napa Valley wine country town of St.
Helena to the west and producing a smoke plume that could be seen
as far south as San Francisco.
The fire burned through trees, brush and dry grass in a steep
and remote region of Napa and Yolo counties before reaching the
edge of Lake Berryessa's northeast shoreline Tuesday. On its way,
it destroyed a fire lookout east of the lake on 3,057-foot
Berryessa Peak.
Fire officials issued a voluntary evacuation for Lake Berryessa
Estates, a community of 75 near the lake's northwest shore.
Evacuees were being sent to a nearby school.
Despite the fire's spread, no other structures were lost and no
injuries reported, a fire spokeswoman said.
The blaze began Sunday evening near the Yolo County farming
community of Rumsey before spreading to nearby hills. Officials
believe the fire was intentionally caused and are investigating.

LAKE BERRYESSA, Calif. (AP) - Diminishing winds are helping
California firefighters take a big step toward control of a
37-thousand-acre wildfire northeast of San Frcisco.
The fire is now considered 45 percent contained, up from just
five percent early Wednesday. Fire officials say full containment
is expected by Saturday night.
The fire, burning in Napa and Yolo counties near Lake Berryessa,
prompted the voluntary evacuation of a community of 75 homes.
A smoke plume could be seen as far south as the San Francisco
Bay area, where air quality warnings were issued.
The blaze began Sunday evening near the a farming community
before spreading to nearby hills. Investigators believe the fire
had been set.
---
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov/

REDDING, Calif. (AP) - A lost hunter who started a forest fire
in northern California while trying to keep warm has been ordered
to pay more than 18 (m) million dollars in restitution.
The fire in the Mendocino National Forest burned more than
six-thousand acres and cost 33 (m) million dollars to suppress. The
restitution covers the U-S Forest Service's cost of fighting the
fire and restoring the burned area.
Prosecutors say 26-year-old Jason Hoskey lit a campfire when he
got lost hunting on September 27th, 2003. The fire spread after he
fell asleep.
Flames had been banned in the area because of extreme fire
danger. Prosecutors say Hoskey also violated the ban by smoking
several cigarettes.
Hoskey pleaded no contest in September to a federal misdemeanor.
Hoskey is also banned from the Mendocino National Forest for
five years.

SACRAMENTO (AP) - When wildfire strikes in California - as it
did to devastating effect across the southern part of the state two
years ago - federal, state and local governments throw everything
they have into stopping the flames.
Yet that multiagency cooperative approach creates its own
problems in dividing up responsibility and costs that can quickly
top $1 million a day, the state legislative analyst's office said
Tuesday.
State and local costs in California are increasing by tens of
millions of dollars, much of it in planned overtime and an increase
in overtime compensation that kicks in this year under a 2001
contract with union firefighters, the nonpartisan office found.
Firefighters now work three 24-hour shifts each week, or 72
hours, during fire season. But under federal law, overtime begins
after 53 hours, so they routinely are paid 19 hours of overtime.
That will cost the state nearly $47 million extra for the fiscal
year beginning in July. The cost will jump another $37 million a
year in July 2006, when firefighters will begin working the 24-hour
shifts year-round instead of just during the fire season.
Much of that added cost hasn't been well known, and legislators
need more information on the full impact, the analyst said.
Previous attention has focused mostly on a lucrative contract
similarly negotiated by recalled Gov. Gray Davis with the powerful
California Correctional Peace Officers Association.
Legislators should consider renegotiating the firefighters'
contract, the report recommends, while the agency should examine
whether it is cheaper to hire more firefighters instead of relying
on planned overtime. Key legislators and their consultants said
they hadn't reviewed the report Tuesday.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration tried to renegotiate
the contract a year ago without success, because there was no
incentive for the union to give up any benefits, the analyst noted.
Jim Wright, chief of fire protection for the California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said no renegotiation
efforts are planned, though the department is considering whether
it is worth hiring more firefighters.
Terry McHale, who handles public policy for CDF Firefighters,
said the contract means his union's members work a third more hours
than municipal firefighters because they work more frequent 24-hour
shifts.
"It's a great deal for the state," even at the higher contract
cost, McHale said.
When the planned overtime kicks in year-round it will increase a
typical firefighter's regular compensation by 42 percent, the
analyst found. That's also making it more difficult for the state
to promote chiefs from the rank-and-file, because the pay gap
between supervisors and firefighters is narrowed. And it will
ultimately drive up retirement benefits and costs to the state.
Local governments that contract with the state for fire
protection will pay more, too, because they must reimburse the
state for its help in fighting their fires. The contract change is
costing local governments about $9 million more this year and $22
million next year, the analyst said.
Labor costs account for roughly half of firefighting costs. Base
pay increases and a 15 percent increase in the number of state
firefighters in the last six years has boosted base costs about $46
million a year higher than six years ago.
The state's annual firefighting cost has varied between $400
million and $500 million annually the last five years, but spiked
to $612 million last fiscal year with the devastating Southern
California wildfires.
It's projected to drop to about $522 million for this fiscal
year ending June 30. But spending has been rising about 10 percent
annually with labor costs, more residential movement into what had
been uninhabited wildlands, and to combat sickly forests,
particularly in Southern California.
To compensate, the report recommended lawmakers consider
reinstituting a fire protection fee on property owners that would
have raised $40 million had it not been repealed before it took
effect this year.
The department now employs about 2,000 year-round firefighters
and another 740 seasonal firefighters, plus 1,700 state employees
paid for by local governments. That doesn't include 198 inmate fire
crews scattered at camps around the state.

Update-Steven Rucker

NOVATO, Calif. (AP) - Novato Fire Chief Jeff Meston is sharing
concerns from a state report that said a manmade fire designed to
clear brush around homes might have played a role in the death of
Novato firefighter Steven Rucker in October 2003.
According to a report released late last week by the California
Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, that backfire "likely
caused a minor but potentially significant decrease in the amount
of time available to react to the changing conditions."
Rucker died after stumbling and falling on a concrete path as
fire engulfed a ridge-top home near the rural San Diego County town
of Wynola.
"If you were to really look at it, that (man-made fire) brought
fire to where our guys were a minute or two (sooner)," Meston
said. "When seconds counted in this event, that could be huge."
Novato Capt. Doug McDonald was seriously hurt in the fire. The
other members of the Novato crew, firefighter paramedic Barrett
Smith and engineer Shawn Kreps, suffered minor injuries. The men,
members of Engine Co. 6162, were overcome by the blaze while trying
to save a home in 2003, the most destructive wildfire year ever in
California, with more than 4,000 homes destroyed.